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Area food banks have seen an increased demand for their services over the last few years, according to front-line workers.

Rosemarie Dupuis, coordinator of the Callander Food Bank says several new families have walked through their front doors looking for help.

She said rural families are being forced to make some tough choices – buy food or pay for necessities like vehicle repairs.

Dupuis said before the Callander Food Bank opened three years ago families would pool their money together and pay for a cab ride to Powassan where they would receive help from the Powassan Food Bank.

“As the need arises we may need to add more hours,” she said.

A new report released last week found the number of Canadians using food banks is at an all-time high and a huge number of them are children.

According to Food Banks Canada, food bank usage rose 2.4% this year and is now 31% higher than before the 2008-09 recession.

The report also states in a typical month food banks help 882,000 Canadians including 339,00 children.

“It's shocking that in a country as prosperous as Canada, hundreds of thousands of children rely on food banks to have enough to eat each month,” stated Katharine Schmidt, executive director of Food Banks Canada.

The situation isn't any different in North Bay.

Amber Livingstone, executive director of the North Bay Food Bank, said thankfully donations have started to pickup.

“People tend to think of us a little more when the cold weather comes. As the weather changes so does people's mindset,” she said, adding three local schools collected more than 1,300 pounds of food on Halloween night.

Livingstone said the summer months is always a struggle to find donations, however it's the same time when most people need help.

She said the food bank helps about 1,200 people per month. Those numbers jumped to 1,325 in August.

“A little help can bring a lot of relief to families,” Livingstone said.

She said some of the clients using the food bank's services include seniors on a fixed income, children living on their own and the working poor.

The Gathering Place is also serving an increasing number of people in need.

According to the not-for-profit's website, as of Dec. 31, 2011 volunteers have served more than 200,000 meals and averaging about 135 guests each day since Sept. 2003.